When head coach Jason Garrett and the Cowboys last played the Eagles, they emerged from the game as an undefeated team. Seven weeks later, the story is much different as they have lost five straight after quarterback Tony Romo went down in the Week 2 meeting with a fractured collarbone.
Dallas will be without Romo again this weekend, but it will have wide receiver Dez Bryant, who recently returned from a foot injury. Despite being limited in practice throughout the week, Garrett believes Bryant has made strides in his recovery.
"He's working his way back from the injury," Garrett said. "He practiced a little bit last week. He practiced more as the week went on and then played in the ballgame, probably played more plays in the game than we initially anticipated him being able to play. That was a positive sign. (He) came out of the game okay. Obviously he missed a lot of time during the offseason and Training Camp and then missing the early portion of the season.
"As good of a player as he is, he still needs to practice, get in games, get his feet underneath him. That's just the nature of this league. I do think he's making progress. He's certainly going about it the right way and we're excited to see him progress this week and play in this ballgame."
It's clear the Eagles will be facing off against a very different Cowboys team. At the same time, Garrett knows Philadelphia will present a bigger challenge as well.
Dallas is preparing for a battle on the field.
"I think they're a good football team," Garrett said. "Certainly, they're running the ball and again, they challenge a lot of different ways with their up-tempo and a lot of different things they do on offense. I think they're really stout on defense. They've got really good cover guys on the back end and they play a lot of man-to-man coverage and I think their front seven is outstanding. Their down guys are really good. They're active. They make a lot of plays in the running game. They affect the quarterback. Their linebackers are fast and around the ball a lot.
"They have a good football team. There's no question about that. They also have playmakers. (Darren) Sproles is an outstanding player for them. He's made a lot of plays for them over the course of his time there and during his time in the league. He and some other guys, when they get the ball in their hands, (you) certainly have to be mindful of them. You have to do a great job containing them."
Press play on the embedded video above or click here to hear Garrett's full conference call with the Philadelphia media.
